DThe government in Rome is coming under increasing pressure because of its measures to combat the pandemic. The human rights organization Amnesty International called on the coalition led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi to end disproportionate discrimination against the unvaccinated. At the turn of the year, the government introduced a general obligation to vaccinate everyone over the age of 50 and also decreed a de facto lockdown for all those who were not vaccinated. According to Amnesty, unvaccinated people should also have the right “without discrimination” to participate in work and social life, for example through alternative measures such as wearing masks and corona tests.
According to current law, unvaccinated people cannot use any public transport until June 15, and unvaccinated people over 50 years of age are also not allowed to go to their workplace. A vaccination requirement and restrictions must always remain “proportionate”, according to a statement by Amnesty. The human rights organization calls on the government to “ensure that the entire population can exercise their basic rights,” such as the right to education and work. Since the turn of the year, unvaccinated people who depend on public transport can no longer reach their place of work or education.
Demonstrations are growing again
Meanwhile, the number of demonstrators who protest in dozens of cities every Saturday afternoon against the renewed tightening of the measures seems to be increasing again. According to the Adnkronos news agency, around 5,000 people took part in a protest rally in Rome near the Colosseum on Saturday. Some demonstrators tried to start a march but were prevented from doing so by riot police. Instead, to calm the situation, the organizations called on the protest participants to go on a sit-in. The 89-year-old French medicine Nobel Prize winner and vaccine skeptic Luc Montagnier spoke at the rally in Milan. In front of the cheering crowd, Montagnier said that the corona vaccination does not protect against infection with the corona virus and also promotes infection with other viruses. There were also protests in Padua, Naples and Turin.
The well-known microbiologist Andrea Crisanti from Padua warned the government in Rome of planned mass vaccinations with a fourth or even fifth dose of the corona vaccine. Firstly, this would overwhelm the healthcare system and, secondly, there would be the risk of a permanent influence on the complex immune system of the vaccinated person. He believes the vaccines have not lived up to expectations.
Meanwhile, more and more regions are calling for the Corona traffic light to be adjusted, because in view of the highly infectious omicron variant, several regions are threatened with classification as an “orange zone” with additional restrictions. According to the authorities, the omicron variant was identified as the trigger in 81 percent of the confirmed new infections. The scientific and technical advisory board of the government has rejected a move demanded by virologists and representatives of the regions from the daily publication of the number of confirmed newly infected people, of whom more and more are asymptomatic. There are tensions in the cabinet between Health Minister Roberto Speranza from a small left-wing party, who, together with Prime Minister Draghi, has so far rejected easing, and Economics Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti from the right-wing national Lega. This calls for fewer restrictions because otherwise the economic recovery would be jeopardized.
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